Biography
In the mid-1980s French producer and composer Hector Zazou teamed with Congolese vocalist Bony Bikaye under the name Zazou Bikaye, issuing a run of inventive albums that blended Afro-beat, funk, and luminous electronic textures while earning strong critical regard. Their 1983 debut, Noir et Blanc, appeared on the European imprint Crammed Discs, incorporated the synth work of duo CY1, and steadily acquired cult-classic standing among DJs and producers worldwide. The Zazou-Bikaye alliance yielded two further titles, Mr. Manager and Guilty!, before ending at the close of the decade.
Having settled in Belgium after leaving the Congo early in the 1980s, Bikaye was developing an African soukous project when he crossed paths with experimental French composer Hector Zazou. Drawn together by a mutual appreciation for German Krautrock, they enlisted Claude Micheli and Guillaume Loizillon of the analog-synth pair CY1. The resulting collective recorded the forward-looking Noir et Blanc for Belgian label Crammed Discs in 1983; reviewers hailed the set as a landmark of Afro-electronic music. The partnership continued with extensive sessions for a second album, from which five selections formed the 1985 mini-album Mr. Manager. That release also drew praise and reached broader audiences via editions issued in Japan and the United States, while the group undertook limited European dates and several New York performances. Their third album, Guilty!, surfaced in 1988, after which the musicians parted ways.
Crammed Discs reignited attention to the project in 2017 by issuing a deluxe reissue of Noir et Blanc and followed with comparable treatment for Mr. Manager three years later.
Having settled in Belgium after leaving the Congo early in the 1980s, Bikaye was developing an African soukous project when he crossed paths with experimental French composer Hector Zazou. Drawn together by a mutual appreciation for German Krautrock, they enlisted Claude Micheli and Guillaume Loizillon of the analog-synth pair CY1. The resulting collective recorded the forward-looking Noir et Blanc for Belgian label Crammed Discs in 1983; reviewers hailed the set as a landmark of Afro-electronic music. The partnership continued with extensive sessions for a second album, from which five selections formed the 1985 mini-album Mr. Manager. That release also drew praise and reached broader audiences via editions issued in Japan and the United States, while the group undertook limited European dates and several New York performances. Their third album, Guilty!, surfaced in 1988, after which the musicians parted ways.
Crammed Discs reignited attention to the project in 2017 by issuing a deluxe reissue of Noir et Blanc and followed with comparable treatment for Mr. Manager three years later.
Albums
Singles
